These days everyone and their cool grandmother knows who The Velvet Underground are, even if it’s just as the band with that Warhol banana. In 1970, however, they were almost completely unknown. Though he may have provided their most iconic image, the bands relationship with Warhol proved disastrous. After tearing through an intense drug fueled period that produced the uneven White Light, White Heat, founding member John Cale went out to buy some light bulbs to replace the ones everyone kept breaking to smoke speed out of and never came back. Not really, but he never played with the band again. Cale is best known for the menacing violin playing that defines the bands early records. His understanding of composition can be heard in the creeping tension he produces on the margins of songs like “Heroine” and “All Tomorrow’s Parties.” The liner notes on his first solo release state “Vintage [...] Continue...

At first listen, classical and electronic music seem as likely to blend together as oil and water. But Olso-based duo Popkissed, made up of electronic artist/producer Robert Solheim and vocalist Lill-Ann Blauenfeldt, manage to combine the two disparate genres, placing layers of synthesizers and subtle effects over intricate compositions. Continue...

Lucius, who have garnered quite the buzz for their 60′s pop-meets-modern-rock sound, are releasing their debut Wildewoman next week. But the band are offering fans a chance a sneak peek of the album’s charms. Continue...

Once you’ve worked remixing magic for the likes of David Lynch, Daft Punk and Depeche Mode, collaborated with Snoop Lion, Skrillex and Santigold, created and defined your own brand of ferocious electronic music, and headlined festivals around the globe, its safe to say you’ve joined the ranks of EDM’s elite. Boys Noize cements his status by being the latest DJ/producer selected to mix the legendary FABRICLIVE series. Continue...

how to get your ex girlfriend back My Morning Jacket are beginning to put together material for a new album, but before they head back into the studio, their making their live collaborations and appearances count, starting with pair of a high-profile performances. Continue...

Album reviews are the bread and butter of music criticism. However, often so much of a review is spent talking about the musician, or the circumstances of the recording process that the actual songs on the record don’t get the discussion they deserve. Triple Take examines a string of 3 songs on an album, how they fit together, and how they fit on the record as a whole. If you’re in your twenties or thirties and don’t want to feel old, please stop reading this post now. This coming May, Weezer’s self titled debut, commonly called The Blue Album will turn 20. While it has become a huge success in its second life, at the time, it was never seen as the bands peak, but instead its launching point. Weezer’s loyal fan base will make the case for two different albums being more important to the bands growth. Casual fans [...] Continue...

Later this month, Arcade Fire will release their eagerly anticipated 4th album Reflektor. Based on the tracks they’ve released so far, there are two things you can be sure you’ll be hearing a lot when it comes out. One is breathless praise. The other is a reminder that it’s not as great as Funeral. Funeral, Arcade Fire’s now legendary debut, is the record that will always define the band. It got them on the cover of Time Magazine, and near the top of almost every “Albums of the Decade” list. Since then they’ve gone on to even greater mainstream commercial and critical success, but that doesn’t matter, they will always be the band who made Funeral, then went on to have a nice career. While things have worked out just fine for Arcade Fire, the first album trap is a very common occurrence in music. It’s a familiar cycle. Artist [...] Continue...

The ever eclectic singer/rapper/producer/DJ TECLA gives summer her own unique send off with the video for “Wake Up.” Directed by TECLA, the clip immortalizes an impromptu house party attended by a colorful cast of characters, including a duck she rescued from a local poultry shop. Continue...